Claim to Fame

If you’ve been making the most of the information within this column, by now you should be making good headway in becoming proactive at DIY PR and increasing your own press exposure.  In fact, I’m assuming you’re regularly donning leg warmers and head bands and cart wheeling across the room to the soundtrack of ‘Fame’, so impressive is your progress.  With the interview requests subsequently rolling in, now is the time to brush up on your technique when it comes to providing impressive responses and making the most of your 15 minutes in the spotlight.  Take a look at the checklist below and bask in the glory of your new found press popularity.

- Whilst a good publication will give your interview a professional edit before publishing, make their lives easier by running a quick spell check before submitting and make sure everything makes sense.

- Avoid writing ANYTHING in text language.  End of story.  An editor who has to translate your submission before they can even begin their job is an editor who won’t ask you back.

- Always triple check that all the information you provide is 100% accurate.  Gaining press coverage is all well and good, but if they print the wrong website address, you won’t reap the benefits.

- Don’t provide copy and paste answers from interview to interview.  You’ll inevitably encounter repeat questions and have specific information you’ll want to get across each time, but find new ways to communicate these details so that each feature is fresh to the publication and readers.

- Don’t give dead end answers that aren’t worth printing, such as Q.  Who is your fashion icon?  A.  I don’t really have one.  Don’t dismiss any question as irrelevant, think it through, and come up with an alternative answer that is a worthwhile use of text.  Perhaps you don’t have a specific fashion icon, so what does inspire your style?  If you really can’t think of a way to salvage the question, don’t be proud, and make up a suitable response.

- Always read the publication from start to finish and browse their website thoroughly to make sure you’re up to speed with their tone.  Match the style of your answers to fit the text written by the staff writers, and make sure what you’re saying is of interest to the target audience.

- Make the interview work for you.  Be sure to place subtle plugs within your answers, and create a checklist of the items you’d like to include and promote before you start.

- Most publications won’t be keen on revealing to the reader that they didn’t conduct their Q&A with you in person, so avoid tell tale signs that you’re answering by email.  Avoid e-signals such as smiley faces, kisses, and ‘lol’s, and instead try the industry standard phrase of ‘(laughs)’ to signify humour.

This has, of course, been a general overview of interview techniques; if you’d like to read detailed information and advice on how to self yourself correctly to the media, Sarah-Jane will shortly be releasing a set of immensely helpful business E Books, covering this, and many other topics of interest to young creatives, in depth.  To receive news of when these guides become available, please send your details to sarahjane@sarahjaneadams.com, or join her on Facebook.